Station (sta) and method for ranging in neighborhood awareness network (nan) communication

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a station (STA) and method for ranging in accordance with Neighborhood Awareness Network (NAN) communication are generally described herein. An initiator STA may determine, for a data service that is to be established between the initiator STA and a responder STA on a NAN data link, whether a ranging procedure is to be performed for the data service. As part of the ranging procedure, range measurements or fine timing may be determined. When the ranging procedure is to be performed for the data service, ranging configuration parameters may be included in data request messages, publish messages and other messages sent by the STAs  103 . In some cases, the STAs  103  may refrain from exchanging separate messages for communication of ranging information.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/286,851, filed Jan. 25, 2016[reference number P95691Z (4884.481PRV)] which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments pertain to wireless networks. Some embodiments relate towireless local area networks (WLANs) and Wi-Fi networks includingnetworks operating in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 family ofstandards. Some embodiments relate to direct communication betweenmobile devices, including communication using Wi-Fi Aware techniquesand/or Neighborhood Awareness Network (NAN) techniques. Some embodimentsrelate to ranging operations.

BACKGROUND

Mobile devices may communicate with a base station of a mobile networkto exchange data, voice and other information. In some cases, it may bebeneficial for a mobile device to communicate directly with other mobiledevices. For instance, two mobile devices located in close proximity maycommunicate over a direct wireless link between the two devices. Suchcommunication in device-to-device scenarios and other scenarios may bechallenging, in some cases, and therefore there is a general need formethods and systems that address these scenarios.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example machine in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a station (STA) in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of a method of communication inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates examples of messages that may be used in NANcommunication in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of usage of applications in accordancewith some embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates the operation of another method of communication inaccordance with some embodiments; and

FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of another method of communication inaccordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustratespecific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practicethem. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical,process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodimentsmay be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments.Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalentsof those claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network in accordance with someembodiments. In some embodiments, the network 100 may be a WirelessLocal Area Network (WLAN) or a Wi-Fi network, although the scope ofembodiments is not limited in this respect. It should be noted thatembodiments are not limited to the number or type of components shown inthe example network 100. Embodiments are also not limited by the examplenetwork 100 in terms of the arrangement of the components or theconnectivity between components as shown. In addition, some embodimentsmay include additional components.

The example network 100 may include one or more master stations (STAs)102 and/or one or more stations (STAs) 103. In some embodiments, themaster STAs 102 and/or STAs 103 may be arranged to operate in accordancewith one or more IEEE 802.11 standards. It should be noted that someembodiments may not necessarily include a master STA 102. In addition,in some embodiments, an STA 103 may be configurable to operate as amaster STA 102 and/or as an STA 103. These embodiments are not limiting,however, as other mobile devices, portable devices and/or other devices,which may or may not be arranged to operate in accordance with astandard, may be used in some embodiments. As an example, a UserEquipment (UE) arranged to operate in accordance with one or more ThirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) standards may be used in somecases.

In the example network 100, the STAs 103 may be configured tocommunicate with the master STA 102 and/or with other STAs 103. As shownin FIG. 1, STA #1 may communicate with the master STA 102 over thewireless link 105, STA #2 may communicate with the master STA 102 overthe wireless link 110, and STA #1 and STA #2 may communicate directlywith each other over the wireless link 115. In some embodiments, thecommunication between the master STA 102 and the STAs 103 and/or thecommunication between the STAs 103 may be performed using any suitable802.11 standard (including legacy 802.11 standards). Such communicationmay also be performed in accordance with one or more Wi-Fi Aware and/orNeighborhood Awareness Network (NAN) standards, in some embodiments.These embodiments are not limiting, however, as other communicationtechniques and/or protocols may be used for the communication betweenthe master STA 102 and the STAs 103 and/or the communication between theSTAs 103, in some embodiments.

In accordance with some embodiments, STA #1 may transmit data packets toSTA #2 as part of a data service. In some cases, a ranging operation maybe used by STAs #1 and #2 to determine a range between the STAs forusage as part of the data service. As an example, STA #1 and STA #2 maycommunicate over a NAN Data Link (NDL) between STA #1 and STA #2. Theseembodiments will be described in more detail below.

As a non-limiting example, two STAs 103 may communicate with each otheralthough both may not necessarily communicate with the same master STA102. For instance, one of the STAs 103 may be out of range of the masterSTA 102, and in some cases, may communicate with a different master STA102. Referring to FIG. 1, STA #3 may communicate with STAs #1 and #2over wireless links 120 and 125, despite being out of range of themaster STA 102 (at least temporarily).

In some embodiments, the master STA 102 may perform one or moreoperations as part of a NAN communication, such as exchanging of controlmessages with the STAs 103 for an establishment of the NANcommunication, providing a reference timing for the NAN communicationand/or other management/control operations. However, embodiments are notlimited to usage of a master STA 102 in the NAN communication, as NANcommunication between STAs 103 may be performed with little or noinvolvement of the master STA 102. For instance, one of the STAs 103 maytransmit synchronization signals to enable other STAs 103 to establish acommon synchronization/timing, in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the STAs 103 may be arranged to operate inaccordance with a protocol and/or standard such as Wi-Fi Aware, NAN,Wi-Fi Aware 2.0, NAN2 and/or others to enable the STAs 103 to discoverother STAs 103, devices and/or services that may be operating in arelatively close proximity. As an example, multiple STAs 103 may form aNAN data cluster (NDC) and may be synchronized to a same clock and/or asame reference timing. The STAs 103 may converge on a time period andchannel included as part of a discovery window (DW) to facilitate thediscovery of services of other STAs 103 and/or other devices. Thediscovery may be performed, in some cases, with little or no involvementfrom an access point (AP) or other infrastructure components, althoughembodiments are not limited as such. In some embodiments, one or moresignals transmitted by an AP may be used by one or more STAs 103 todetermine a reference timing and/or a schedule for a NAN communication.In some embodiments, one or more STAs 103 may exchange one or morecontrol messages with an AP to at least partly enable a NANcommunication. For instance, the NAN communication may be establishedbased at least partly on a control message received from an AP, in someembodiments.

In accordance with some embodiments, the STAs 103 and/or master STA 102may be arranged to contend for a wireless medium (e.g., during acontention period) to receive exclusive control of the medium for atransmission period. For instance, the transmission period may include atransmission opportunity (TXOP), which may be included in an 802.11standard and/or other standard. The data transmissions may be performedin accordance with any suitable multiple-access techniques and/ormultiplexing techniques. Accordingly, one or more of orthogonalfrequency division multiple access (OFDMA), orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing (OFDM), code-division multiple access (CDMA),time-division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiplexing(FDMA), space-division multiple access (SDMA), multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO), multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO) (MU-MIMO) and/or other techniques may be employed in someembodiments.

In some embodiments, the STA 103 may communicate with other STAs 103and/or the master STA 102 in accordance with legacy IEEE 802.11communication techniques. These embodiments are not limiting, however,as non-legacy IEEE 802.11 techniques or a combination of legacy andnon-legacy IEEE 802.11 techniques may be used in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, channels used for communication between STAs 103and/or master STAs 102 may be configurable to use one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz,or 80 MHz contiguous bandwidths or an 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) non-contiguousbandwidth. In some embodiments, a 320 MHz channel width may be used. Insome embodiments, sub-channel bandwidths less than 20 MHz may also beused. In these embodiments, each channel or sub-channel may beconfigured for transmitting a number of spatial streams, in someembodiments. These embodiments are not limiting, however, as othersuitable bandwidths may be used in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, high-efficiency wireless (HEW) techniques may beused, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.As an example, techniques included in 802.11ax standards and/or otherstandards may be used. In such embodiments, an HEW packet may begenerated in accordance with a short preamble format or a long preambleformat. The HEW packet may comprise a legacy signal field (L-SIG)followed by one or more high-efficiency (HE) signal fields (HE-SIG) andan HE long-training field (HE-LTF). For the short preamble format, thefields may be configured for shorter-delay spread channels. For the longpreamble format, the fields may be configured for longer-delay spreadchannels. It should be noted that the terms “HEW” and “HE” may be usedinterchangeably and both terms may refer to high-efficiency WirelessLocal Area Network operation and/or high-efficiency Wi-Fi operation.

As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to, be part of, orinclude an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electroniccircuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory(shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software orfirmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitablehardware components that provide the described functionality. In someembodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functionsassociated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or moresoftware or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may includelogic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments describedherein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configuredhardware and/or software.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordancewith some embodiments. The machine 200 is an example machine upon whichany one or more of the techniques and/or methodologies discussed hereinmay be performed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 200 mayoperate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 200 may operatein the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both inserver-client network environments. In an example, the machine 200 mayact as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed)network environment. The machine 200 may be a master STA 102, STA 103,access point (AP), UE, eNB, mobile device, base station, personalcomputer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a web appliance, anetwork router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executinginstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated,the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection ofmachines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets)of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS),other computer cluster configurations.

Examples as described herein, may include, or may operate on, logic or anumber of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangibleentities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations andmay be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In an example,circuits may be arranged (e.g., internally or with respect to externalentities such as other circuits) in a specified manner as a module. Inan example, the whole or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., astandalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardwareprocessors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g.,instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a modulethat operates to perform specified operations. In an example, thesoftware may reside on a machine readable medium. In an example, thesoftware, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causesthe hardware to perform the specified operations.

Accordingly, the term “module” is understood to encompass a tangibleentity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, specificallyconfigured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transitorily)configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or toperform part or all of any operation described herein. Consideringexamples in which modules are temporarily configured, each of themodules need not be instantiated at any one moment in time. For example,where the modules comprise a general-purpose hardware processorconfigured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor may beconfigured as respective different modules at different times. Softwaremay accordingly configure a hardware processor, for example, toconstitute a particular module at one instance of time and to constitutea different module at a different instance of time.

The machine (e.g., computer system) 200 may include a hardware processor202 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit(GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a mainmemory 204 and a static memory 206, some or all of which may communicatewith each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 208. The machine 200 mayfurther include a display unit 210, an alphanumeric input device 212(e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 214(e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display unit 210, input device 212and UI navigation device 214 may be a touch screen display. The machine200 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., drive unit) 216, asignal generation device 218 (e.g., a speaker), a network interfacedevice 220, and one or more sensors 221, such as a global positioningsystem (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. Themachine 200 may include an output controller 228, such as a serial(e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless(e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connectionto communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., aprinter, card reader, etc.).

The storage device 216 may include a machine readable medium 222 onwhich is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 224(e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of thetechniques or functions described herein. The instructions 224 may alsoreside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 204,within static memory 206, or within the hardware processor 202 duringexecution thereof by the machine 200. In an example, one or anycombination of the hardware processor 202, the main memory 204, thestatic memory 206, or the storage device 216 may constitute machinereadable media. In some embodiments, the machine readable medium may beor may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

While the machine readable medium 222 is illustrated as a single medium,the term “machine readable medium” may include a single medium ormultiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/orassociated caches and servers) configured to store the one or moreinstructions 224. The term “machine readable medium” may include anymedium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructionsfor execution by the machine 200 and that cause the machine 200 toperform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, orthat is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used byor associated with such instructions. Non-limiting machine readablemedium examples may include solid-state memories, and optical andmagnetic media. Specific examples of machine readable media may include:non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g.,Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; Random Access Memory (RAM); and CD-ROM andDVD-ROM disks. In some examples, machine readable media may includenon-transitory machine readable media. In some examples, machinereadable media may include machine readable media that is not atransitory propagating signal.

The instructions 224 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 226 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 220 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols(e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission controlprotocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet datanetwork (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellularnetworks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless datanetworks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family ofstandards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, a LongTerm Evolution (LTE) family of standards, a Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P)networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device 220may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, orphone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communicationsnetwork 226. In an example, the network interface device 220 may includea plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one ofsingle-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. In someexamples, the network interface device 220 may wirelessly communicateusing Multiple User MIMO techniques. The term “transmission medium”shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine200, and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

FIG. 3 illustrates a user station (STA) in accordance with someembodiments. It should be noted that in some embodiments, an STA orother mobile device may include some or all of the components shown ineither FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 (as in 300) or both. The STA 300 may be suitablefor use as an STA 103 as depicted in FIG. 1, in some embodiments. TheSTA 300 may be suitable for use as a master STA 102 as depicted in FIG.1, in some embodiments. Accordingly, references to an STA 300 are notlimiting, and may be applicable to a master STA in some cases.

The STA 300 may include physical layer circuitry 302 and a transceiver305, one or both of which may enable transmission and reception ofsignals to and from components such as the master STA 102 (FIG. 1),other STAs or other devices using one or more antennas 301. As anexample, the physical layer circuitry 302 may perform various encodingand decoding functions that may include formation of baseband signalsfor transmission and decoding of received signals. As another example,the transceiver 305 may perform various transmission and receptionfunctions such as conversion of signals between a baseband range and aRadio Frequency (RF) range. Accordingly, the physical layer circuitry302 and the transceiver 305 may be separate components or may be part ofa combined component. In addition, some of the described functionalityrelated to transmission and reception of signals may be performed by acombination that may include one, any or all of the physical layercircuitry 302, the transceiver 305, and other components or layers. TheSTA 300 may also include medium access control layer (MAC) circuitry 304for controlling access to the wireless medium. The STA 300 may alsoinclude processing circuitry 306 and memory 308 arranged to perform theoperations described herein.

The antennas 301, 230 may comprise one or more directional oromnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas,monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas orother types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In somemultiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas 301, 230may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity andthe different channel characteristics that may result.

In some embodiments, the STA 300 may be a mobile device and may be aportable wireless communication device, such as a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wirelesscommunication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, asmartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, adigital camera, an access point, a television, a wearable device such asa medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor,etc.), or other device that may receive and/or transmit informationwirelessly. In some embodiments, the STA 300 may be configured tooperate in accordance with 802.11 standards, although the scope of theembodiments is not limited in this respect. Mobile devices or otherdevices in some embodiments may be configured to operate according toother protocols or standards, including other IEEE standards, ThirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) standards or other standards. Insome embodiments, the STA 300 or other device may include one or more ofa keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, agraphics processor, an application processor, speakers, and other mobiledevice elements. The display may be an LCD screen including a touchscreen.

Although the STA 300 is illustrated as having several separatefunctional elements, one or more of the functional elements may becombined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configuredelements, such as processing elements including digital signalprocessors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, someelements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) andcombinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing atleast the functions described herein. In some embodiments, thefunctional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on oneor more processing elements.

Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware,firmware and software. Embodiments may also be implemented asinstructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may beread and executed by at least one processor to perform the operationsdescribed herein. A computer-readable storage device may include anynon-transitory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by amachine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storagedevice may include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM),magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memorydevices, and other storage devices and media. Some embodiments mayinclude one or more processors and may be configured with instructionsstored on a computer-readable storage device.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, an apparatus used by theSTA 300 may include various components of the STA 300 as shown in FIG. 3and/or the example machine 200 as shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly,techniques and operations described herein that refer to the STA 300 (or103) may be applicable to an apparatus for an STA.

In some embodiments, the STA 300 may communicate using OFDMcommunication signals over a multicarrier communication channel.Accordingly, in some cases the STA 300 may be configured to receivesignals in accordance with specific communication standards, such as theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standardsincluding IEEE 802.11-2012, 802.11n-2009 and/or 802.11ac-2013 standardsand/or proposed specifications for WLANs including proposed HEWstandards, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in thisrespect as they may also be suitable to transmit and/or receivecommunications in accordance with other techniques and standards. Insome other embodiments, the STA 300 may be configured to receive signalsthat were transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques suchas spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code divisionmultiple access (DS-CDMA) and/or frequency hopping code divisionmultiple access (FH-CDMA)), time-division multiplexing (TDM) modulation,and/or frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) modulation, although thescope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, channel resources may be used for transmissions ofsignals between STAs 103. Although embodiments are not limited as such,the transmissions may be performed in accordance with contention basedtechniques and/or time-division duplex (TDD) techniques in some cases.In some embodiments, the channel resources may include multiplechannels, such as the 20 MHz channels previously described. The channelsmay include multiple sub-channels or may be divided into multiplesub-channels to accommodate multiple access for multiple STAs 103, insome cases. In some embodiments, the sub-channels may comprise apredetermined bandwidth. As a non-limiting example, the sub-channels mayeach span 2.03125 MHz, the channel may span 20 MHz, and the channel mayinclude eight or nine sub-channels. However, any suitable frequency spanfor the channels and/or sub-channels may be used. In some embodiments,the frequency span for the sub-channel may be based on a value includedin an 802.11 standard (such as 802.11ax), a 3GPP standard or otherstandard. In some embodiments, the sub-channels may comprise multiplesub-carriers. Although not limited as such, the sub-carriers may be usedfor transmission and/or reception of OFDM or OFDMA signals. As anexample, each sub-channel may include a group of contiguous sub-carriersspaced apart by a pre-determined sub-carrier spacing. As anotherexample, each sub-channel may include a group of non-contiguoussub-carriers. That is, the channel may be divided into a set ofcontiguous sub-carriers spaced apart by the pre-determined sub-carrierspacing, and each sub-channel may include a distributed or interleavedsubset of those sub-carriers. The sub-carrier spacing may take a valuesuch as 78.125 kHz, 312.5 kHz or 15 kHz, although these example valuesare not limiting. Other suitable values that may or may not be part ofan 802.11 or 3GPP standard or other standard may also be used in somecases. As an example, for a 78.125 kHz sub-carrier spacing, asub-channel may comprise 26 contiguous sub-carriers or a bandwidth of2.03125 MHz.

In accordance with some embodiments, as part of a Neighborhood AwarenessNetwork (NAN) communication, an initiator STA 103 may determine, for adata service that is to be established between the initiator STA 103 anda responder STA 103 on a NAN data link, whether a ranging procedure isto be performed for the data service. As part of the ranging procedure,range measurements or fine timing may be determined. When the rangingprocedure is to be performed for the data service, ranging configurationparameters may be included in data request messages, publish messagesand other messages sent by the STAs 103. In some cases, the STAs 103 mayrefrain from exchanging separate messages for communication of ranginginformation. In some cases, the STAs 103 may exchange separate messagesfor communication of data request information and ranging information.These embodiments will be described in more detail below.

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of a method of determination of channelresources in accordance with some embodiments. It is important to notethat embodiments of the method 400 may include additional or even feweroperations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated in FIG. 4.In addition, embodiments of the method 400 are not necessarily limitedto the chronological order that is shown in FIG. 4. In describing themethod 400, reference may be made to FIGS. 1-3 and 6, although it isunderstood that the method 400 may be practiced with any other suitablesystems, interfaces and components.

In addition, while the method 400 and other methods described herein mayrefer to STAs 103 and/or master STAs 102 operating in accordance with802.11 or other standards, embodiments of those methods are not limitedto just those devices and may also be practiced on other mobile devices,such as an HEW STA, an Evolved Node-B (eNB) or User Equipment (UE). Themethod 400 and other methods described herein may also be practiced bywireless devices configured to operate in other suitable types ofwireless communication systems, including systems configured to operateaccording to various Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) LongTerm Evolution (LTE) standards. The method 400 may also be applicable toan apparatus for an STA 103 and/or master STA 102 or other devicedescribed above, in some embodiments.

It should also be pointed out that reference may be made herein to an“initiator STA 103” and/or “responder STA 103.” For instance, anoperation may include transmission of a signal from an initiator STA 103to a responder STA 103. These references are not limiting, however. Insome embodiments, an STA 103 may be configured to perform operationsdescribed herein for either an initiator STA 103, a responder STA 103 orboth.

In some embodiments, a NAN communication between STAs 103 and/or amaster STA 102 may be performed in one or more channels. The channelsmay or may not be adjacent in frequency, and may span any suitablebandwidth including but not limited to the values described previously.As a non-limiting example, a group of 20 MHz channels may be used.

In some embodiments, the NAN communication may include a NAN Data Link(NDL) communication in which STAs 103 may communicate with each over anNDL. In some cases, the NDL may be or may include a direct wireless linkbetween the STAs 103. It should be noted that embodiments are notlimited to NDL communication, however, as other types of communicationmay be used. For instance, in some embodiments, NAN communication mayinclude a NAN Data Cluster (NDC) communication, in which STAs 103 in anNDC may communicate with each other.

The NAN communication may be performed over direct wireless link(s)between the initiator STA 103 and the responder STA(s) 103 and inaccordance with an NAN protocol, in some embodiments. Accordingly,contention based access may be used for data transmissions and/ortransmission of control messages. In some embodiments, the usage of anidle period detection, a CW, a back-off count, transmission delay and/orother concepts for contention based access may be performed inaccordance with a carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance(CSMA/CA) protocol. As an example, the CSMA/CA protocol may be includedin an 802.11 standard and/or other standard, in some cases, althoughembodiments are not limited to usage of CSMA/CA techniques that areincluded in a standard.

In some embodiments, a NAN communication may be based on time blocks. Insome cases, one or more STAs 103 and/or devices may be synchronized forsuch a communication. For instance, a starting time of one or more timeblocks in a pattern or sequence may be based on a reference timingdetermined by each of the STAs 103. In some cases, it is possible thatmultiple devices may start access in the same time block and maytransmit packets. Hence, some contention mitigation scheme may be usedfor different types of time blocks, including but not limited to, FAW,NDC, and NDL time blocks. An FAW time block may be announced by aparticular STA 103 to enable other STAs 103 to contact the particularSTA 103 to establish a data link. An NDC base schedule may include oneor more NDC time blocks agreed to by all devices in the same NDC. An NDLschedule may include one or more NDL time blocks to which two STAs 103have agreed for NAN data transmission. In some cases, a same time blockmay be used by multiple devices for NAN communication.

It should also be noted that embodiments are not limited by referencesherein to transmission, reception and/or exchanging of frames andmessages. In some embodiments, such a frame or message may be generatedby processing circuitry (such as by a baseband processor included in theprocessing circuitry) for transmission. The transmission may beperformed by a transceiver or other component, in some cases. In someembodiments, such a frame or message may be decoded, detected and/orprocessed by the processing circuitry (such as by the basebandprocessor). The frame or message may be received by a transceiver orother component, in some cases. In some embodiments, the processingcircuitry and the transceiver may be included in a same apparatus. Thescope of embodiments is not limited in this respect, however, as thetransceiver may be separate from the apparatus that comprises theprocessing circuitry, in some embodiments.

At operation 405 of the method 400, the initiator STA 103 may determinea reference timing to be used for Neighborhood Awareness Network (NAN)communication with one or more other STAs 103. Accordingly, thereference timing may be used by the STAs 103 to synchronize NANcommunication. For instance, a starting time (or other time) of aparticular time block, such as a discovery window (DW), furtheravailability window (FAW), NDL time block, NDC time block and/or othertime block may be based on the reference timing. Transmission and/orreception of messages and/or signals may be performed in accordance withsuch a reference timing, in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the reference timing may be determined based on areception of one or more synchronization signals and/or other signalsfrom a master STA 102. Accordingly, multiple STAs 103 may receive thosesignals and/or other signals from the master STA 102, and the STAs 103may synchronize for the NAN communication. These embodiments are notlimiting, however, as other techniques may be used. For instance, aparticular STA 103 may transmit one or more synchronization signals,beacon signals and/or other signals, and other STAs 103 may synchronizeto a reference timing that the particular STA 103 wishes to establish.In some embodiments, the STAs 103 may synchronize to a common timingand/or schedule by exchanging signals with each other. For instance, theinitiator STA 103 may determine the reference timing based at leastpartly on a reception of a synchronization signal from another STA 103.In some cases, the signals may be exchanged at least partly to enablesynchronization, although embodiments are not limited as such. In someembodiments, the signals may not necessarily have been transmitted forpurposes of enabling the synchronization.

It should also be pointed out that in some embodiments, the STAs 103 mayexchange one or more control signals with the master STA 102 as part ofthe establishment of the NAN communication. For instance, controlinformation for the NAN communication may be received from the masterSTA 102, such as which channels are available and/or unavailable for theNAN communication. Embodiments are not limited as such, however, as STAs103 may exchange and/or broadcast such control signals in someembodiments. For instance, in some cases, a master STA 102 may not beused.

At operation 410, the initiator STA 103 may transmit a publish messagefor a data service that may indicate that the initiator STA 103 supportsthe data service. As previously described, the publish message may begenerated by the initiator STA 103 for transmission, in someembodiments. In some embodiments, the publish message may be transmittedas a broadcast message, although embodiments are not limited as such.For instance, the initiator STA 103 may transmit the publish message asa broadcast message to indicate to other STAs 103 that the data serviceis supported by the initiator STA 103.

In some embodiments, the publish message may include information relatedto ranging (such as a group of one or more ranging configurationparameters (RCP), a flag to indicate that ranging is to be used and/orother information) when the data service is to be used in accordancewith a ranging procedure. The group of RCPs may be included for dataservices that utilize ranging information, examples of which will begiven below. Accordingly, when it is determined by the initiator STA 103that ranging is to be performed for the data service, the publishmessage may include the group of RCPs. In addition, when it isdetermined by the initiator STA 103 that ranging is not to be performedfor the data service, the publish message may exclude the group of RCPs.

As an example of an RCP, a ranging resolution may indicate an accuracyrequired for the ranging operation. As another example of an RCP, aranging interval may indicate a maximum time difference between rangemeasurements, such as a limit on how much time may elapse betweenmeasurements. As another example of an RCP, thresholds related togeo-fencing, such as an inner geo-fence threshold and an outer geo-fencethreshold, may indicate distance thresholds that may be applied to adistance between STAs 103. As another example of an RCP, a rangingindication condition may indicate to the responder STA 103 how oftenand/or under which conditions a ranging result is to be reported. Forinstance, the ranging indication condition may indicate that acontinuous (such as at regular intervals) reporting is to be performed.The ranging indication condition may also indicate that the responderSTA 103 is to report a ranging result when a condition related to ageo-fence is met. For instance, when the responder STA 103 moves out ofrange of the outer geo-fence threshold or when the responder STA 103moves into the range of the inner geo-fence threshold. These examplesare not limiting, however, as any or all of these RCPs and/or others maybe used, in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, a message (such as the publish message, datarequest message (to be described below) and/or other message) mayinclude information about the data service. Examples of such informationmay include a publish ID, responder NAN address, Quality of Service(QoS) requirements and/or security information. Embodiments are notlimited by these examples, however, as the message may include any orall of these examples and/or others, in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the message may include information about the dataservice and information about the ranging procedure in a same message orin a combined message. Accordingly, the initiator STA 103 maycommunicate information about the ranging procedure to other STAs 103without usage of separate ranging messages, in some cases. That is, theinitiator STA 103 may refrain from transmission of separate rangingmessages, in some cases, as the RCPs and/or ranging information may beincluded in the message (publish message, data request message and/orother message) when the data service is to perform ranging operations.

In some embodiments, the publish message may be transmitted during adiscovery window (DW), although the scope of embodiments is not limitedin this respect. The publish message may be included in a NAN standard,an 802.11 standard and/or other standard, in some embodiments, butembodiments are not limited to usage of messages that are included in astandard. In some embodiments, the DW may include a time block allocatedon a particular channel to enable STAs 103 to discover services of eachother. For instance, the discovery may be performed by the STAs 103using direct communication between STAs 103, in which access points(APs) and/or other infrastructure components may have no involvement orlimited involvement, in some cases.

FIG. 5 illustrates examples of messages that may be used in NANcommunication in accordance with some embodiments. It should be notedthat embodiments are not limited to the arrangement and/or elementsshown in the messages 500, 550. For instance, all parameters and/orinformation shown in FIG. 5 for the example messages 500, 550 may notnecessarily be included in some embodiments. In addition, theorganization of the parameters and/or information shown in the examplemessages 500, 550 is not limiting.

In some embodiments, the initiator STA 103 may transmit the publishmessage 500 or a similar message to indicate to other STAs 103 that theinitiator STA 103 supports the data service. The publish message 500 mayinclude one or more data service parameters 510 that may identify thedata service and/or describe other information about the data service.The publish message 500 may also include a ranging flag 515 that mayindicate whether or not ranging is to be used as part of the dataservice. The publish message 500 may also include a ranging ID 520 andone or more RCPs 525. The publish message 500 may also include anynumber (including zero) of other parameters or information 530. Itshould be noted that the publish message 500 may be a primitive that maybe included in another message exchanged between STAs 103, in someembodiments.

Returning to the method 400, the initiator STA 103 may determine whethera ranging procedure is to be used for a data service that is to beestablished between the initiator STA 103 and a responder STA 103. Insome embodiments, the data service may have been previously described ina publish message such as at operation 410, but the scope of embodimentsis not limited in this respect. At operation 420, the initiator STA 103may determine whether an established ranging procedure between theinitiator STA 103 and the responder STA 103 may be re-used for the dataservice. For instance, another data service already established betweenthe initiator STA 103 and the responder STA 103 may use the rangingoperation, and it may be possible for the initiator STA 103 and theresponder STA 103 to re-used the ranging operation (instead ofinitiating a new ranging operation). Accordingly, the initiator STA 103and the responder STA 103 may be able to re-use a ranging operation formultiple data services, in some cases.

At operation 425, the initiator STA 103 may transmit a data requestmessage for the data service. As previously described, the data requestmessage may be generated by the initiator STA 103 for transmission, insome embodiments. When it is determined that the ranging procedure is tobe established for the data service, the data request message mayinclude a group of one or more ranging configuration parameters (RCPs)to be used for the ranging procedure. In some embodiments, when it isdetermined that the ranging procedure is not to be established for thedata service, the data request message may exclude the group of RCPs.

The data request message may also include information related to thedata service. Examples of such information may include a publish ID,responder NAN address, Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and/orsecurity information. Embodiments are not limited by these examples,however, as the data request message may include any or all of theseexamples and/or others, in some embodiments.

At operation 430, the initiator STA 103 may refrain from transmission ofseparate ranging request messages for the data service. For instance,when it is determined that the ranging procedure is to be establishedfor the data service, the initiator STA 103 may include the RCPs in thedata request message and may refrain from transmission of separateranging request messages with the RCPs.

Referring to FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the initiator STA 103 maytransmit the data request message 550 or a similar message to indicate arequest to the responder STA 103 that the initiator STA 103 intends toestablish the data service with the responder STA 103. The data requestmessage 550 may include one or more data service parameters 560 that mayidentify the data service and/or describe other information about thedata service. The data request message 550 may also include a rangingflag 565 that may indicate whether or not ranging is to be used as partof the data service. The data request message 550 may also include aranging ID 570 and one or more RCPs 575. The data request message 550may also include any number (including zero) of other parameters orinformation 580. It should be noted that the data request message 550may be a data request primitive that may be included in another messageexchanged between STAs 103, in some embodiments. In addition, othermessages and/or primitives related to the data service may be of asimilar format, in some embodiments. Accordingly, such other messagesand/or primitives may include one or more of the parameters shown in thedata request message 550, in some cases.

As previously described, in some embodiments, when it is determined thatthe ranging operation is to be used for the data service, the datarequest message may include information about the data service andinformation about the ranging procedure in a same message or in acombined message. Accordingly, the initiator STA 103 may communicateinformation about the ranging procedure to other STAs 103 without usageof separate ranging messages, in some cases. That is, the initiator STA103 may refrain from transmission of separate ranging messages, in somecases, as the RCPs and/or ranging information may be included in thedata request message when the data service is to perform rangingoperations. However, it should also be noted that in some cases, theSTAs 103 may exchange separate messages for communication of datarequest information and ranging information.

As a non-limiting example, the initiator STA 103 may establish a firstdata service between the initiator STA 103 and a first responder STA 103on a first NAN data link and may also establish a second data servicebetween the initiator STA 103 and a second responder STA 103 on a secondNAN data link. The first data service may include usage of a rangingprocedure. A first data request message transmitted to the firstresponder STA 103 may include a group of one or more RCPs to be used bythe initiator STA 103 and the first responder STA 103 for the rangingprocedure. The second data service may exclude usage of the rangingprocedure. A second data request message transmitted to the secondresponder STA 103 may exclude the group of RCPs. In addition, theinitiator STA 103 may refrain from transmission of separate rangingrequest messages for the first data service as the RCPs for the rangingoperation may be included in the first data request message. However, itshould also be noted that in some cases, the initiator STA 103 maytransmit separate messages for communication of data request informationand ranging information.

It should be noted that techniques described for the publish messageand/or data request message may also be used, in some cases, for othermessages exchanged between the initiator STA 103 and the responder STA103, examples of which will be given below. Accordingly, in some cases,when the ranging operation is to be used, the initiator STA 103 mayinclude RCPs in those other messages and may refrain from sendingseparate ranging messages to communicate the RCPs.

At operation 435, a fine timing measurement between the STAs 103 may bedetermined. In some embodiments, the fine timing measurement may bebased on a reception of a message (such as a ranging response messageand/or other message) from the responder STA 103. As a non-limitingexample, a propagation delay may be determined for a message exchangedbetween STAs 103, and the fine timing measurement may be determinedaccordingly. At operation 440, a range measurement between the STAs 103may be determined. In some cases, the range measurement may be based atleast partly on the fine timing measurement, although embodiments arenot limited as such. It should be noted that the STAs 103 may determinesuch ranging measurements and may send them to each other, in somecases.

It should be noted that a ranging operation may be used by multiple dataservices, in some cases. As an example, a ranging operation may be usedas part of an established first data service. It may be determined thata second data service to be established is to use a ranging operation.It may also be determined that the ranging operation used for the firstdata service may be re-used by the second data service. In this case, arange measurement for the second data service may be determined usingthe ranging operation used for the first data service.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of usage of applications in accordancewith some embodiments. As shown in the example scenario 600,applications 610 may use one or more data path applications 620, one ormore ranging service applications 630 and/or one or more servicediscovery applications 640. In some cases, one or more of theapplications 620, 630, 640 may use a same ranging operation 650.

At operation 445, the initiator STA 103 and the responder STA 103 mayexchange data packets as part of the data service. Accordingly, theinitiator STA 103 may transmit one or more data packets and/or receiveone or more data packets.

In some embodiments, a traffic type of the data packets may be based onrange measurements. As a non-limiting example, a first traffic type of afirst data rate may be used when the responder STA 103 is within aparticular distance threshold (based on range measurements) and a secondtraffic type of a second, lower data rate may be used when the responderSTA 103 is beyond a particular distance threshold. As anothernon-limiting example, the traffic type of the data may be based at leastpartly on a comparison of a range measurement of the ranging procedurewith the inner and outer geo-fence thresholds.

In an example scenario, a coffee shop may offer free music tracks tosome customers. However, when the customer leaves the coffee shop, thestreaming of music tracks may be stopped. In such a case, the musicstreaming application may set up a NAN data path and a ranging operationsimultaneously. In another example scenario, a coffee shop may offerfree TV shows to customers sitting at the coffee shop and may offer freemusic tracks to customers in the surrounding area. In such a case, theranging operation may be used to decide which of the different data pathapplications. TV shows or music, are available to the differentcustomers.

In some embodiments, an application may set up a data path and rangingoperation jointly. As an example, one or more combined messages may beused to establish the data path and ranging operation. In someembodiments, a ranging operation may be used for one or more data pathapplications. As an example of the ranging operation, geo-fencing may beused. In some cases, control of the data path may also be supervised bya defined geo-fence without upper layer intervention. In someembodiments, ranging enabled Wi-Gig devices may be used.

In some embodiments, an architecture may support one or more rangingapplications. In some cases, a data path application and/or a servicediscovery operation may use such ranging operations. As an example,information related to a ranging operation may be included in a datapath primitive, control block and/or control message, to enable anapplication to set up, cancel and/or modify a data path and a rangingoperation using a same time slot. For instance, the time slot may beshared by the data path functionality. In some cases, peers may identifya complete functionality needed from the medium resource allocation.Several example data primitives are described below, which may beincluded in a 3GPP standard and/or other standard, in some cases. Itshould be noted that embodiments are not limited to the examples and arealso not limited to data primitives included in a standard.

As previously described, some techniques that have been described hereinas applicable to a data request message and/or a publish message may beapplicable to other types of messages, in some embodiments. Forinstance, RCPs may be included in such messages and the STAs 103 mayrefrain from exchanging separate ranging messages for communication ofthe RCPs. Accordingly, a combined message may be used to exchangeinformation related to the data service and information related to theranging operation, in some embodiments. Non-limiting examples are givenbelow, but it is understood that these techniques may be applied toother messages, in some cases. In some embodiments, messages such as theexample messages below may be data primitives that may be included inother messages exchanged between the STAs 103.

As an example, a data request message and/or data request primitive maybe of a form such as DataRequest(publish_id, responder_nan_address,qos_requirements, security, service_specific_info, range_id,range_configuration_parameters). As another example, a data responsemessage and/or data response primitive may be of a form such asDataResponse(status, ndp_id, initiator_data_address, qos_requirements,security, service_specific_info, range_id,range_configuration_parameters). As another example, a data end messageand/or data end primitive may be of a form such as DataEnd(status,ndp_id, initiator_data_address, range_id). As another example, a dataindication message and/or data indication primitive may be of a formsuch as DataIndication(publish_id, ndp_id, initiator_data_address,responder_data_address, security, service_specific_info, range_id,rangeconfigurationparameters). As another example, a data confirmationmessage and/or data confirmation primitive may be of a form such asDataConfirm(status, ndp_id, initiator_data_address,responder_data_address, service_specific_specific_info, range_id,rangeconfigurationparameters). In some cases, the range_id and/orrangeconfigurationparameters (RCP) shown in these example messagesand/or primitives may be optionally included in the messages and/orprimitives.

In some embodiments, when an initiator STA 103 sets up a new NDP orrange service with a responder STA 103 and a range operation is alsorequired, the initiator STA 103 may establish a ranging operation withthe responder STA 103 if there is no ranging operation alreadyestablished between the two STAs 103. As a non-limiting example, the“range id” parameter in the DataRequest message described earlier may beset to a value of 0 to indicate that the ranging operation is to be setup. A new range operation may be set up using range configurationparameters (RCP) in the Data Request message. In some embodiments, iftwo STAs have established a ranging operation to support one or moreNDPs, range service or service discovery applications, and one of theSTAs may initiate a new NDP/range service set up between the two STAs,the initiator STA may choose to re-use the existing range operation ormay update the existing range operation schedule to accommodate the newNDP/range service. As a non-limiting example, the “range id” parameterin the Data Request message may be set to a non-zero value, which mayindicate that the ranging operation is not to be established or that itis already established. The existing ranging operation schedule may beupdated using range configuration parameters (RCP) in the Data Requestmessage.

In some embodiments, two STAs that maintain a ranging operation tosupport one or more data path applications, ranging service applicationsor service discovery applications may update the ranging operationschedule.

FIG. 7 illustrates the operation of another method of communication inaccordance with some embodiments. As mentioned previously regarding themethod 400, embodiments of the method 700 may include additional or evenfewer operations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated inFIG. 7 and embodiments of the method 700 are not necessarily limited tothe chronological order that is shown in FIG. 7. In describing themethod 700, reference may be made to FIGS. 1-6 and 8, although it isunderstood that the method 700 may be practiced with any other suitablesystems, interfaces and components. Discussion herein of varioustechniques and concepts may be applicable to the method 700 in somecases, including data services, NAN data links, ranging operations,ranging procedures, range configuration parameters, range measurements,fine timing measurements, geo-fences, messages related to establishmentof data services, publish messages, synchronization of NAN devices,reference timing and/or others. In addition, embodiments of the method700 may be applicable to STAs 103, APs, UEs, eNBs or other wireless ormobile devices. The method 700 may also refer to an apparatus for an STA103 and/or other device described above.

Referring to FIG. 7, the initiator device 710 and responder device 720may be STAs 103 in some embodiments. The scope of embodiments is notlimited in this respect, however, and other devices may be used in someembodiments. The initiator device 710 may include an application layer711 and a MAC layer 712. The responder device 720 may include anapplication layer 721 and a MAC layer 722. It should be noted thatembodiments are not limited to the types of messages and primitivesshown in FIG. 7. Embodiments are also not limited to the parametersincluded in the messages and primitives of FIG. 7. In addition,embodiments are also not limited to the chronological ordering ofmessages and primitives shown in FIG. 7.

At operation 730, the initiator device 710 may determine timesynchronization, such as a reference timing. At operation 731, theresponder device 720 may determine time synchronization, such as areference timing. At operation 740, the application layer 711 may send adata request primitive to the MAC layer 712. At operation 745, theinitiator device 710 may transmit a message (such as a data requestmessage) to the responder device 720. As an example, such a message mayinclude the data request primitive, in some cases. As another example,the message may include one or more parameters included in the datarequest primitive. As another example, the message may be based on oneor more parameters included in the data request primitive.

The responder device 720 may receive the data request message as part ofoperation 745, and the MAC layer 722 and application layer 721 mayexchange one or more data primitives, including but not limited to thoseshown in operations 750 and/or 755. At operation 760, the responderdevice 720 may transmit a response message to the initiator device 710and may receive a confirmation message from the initiator device 710 atoperation 770. The MAC layer 712 and application layer 711 of theinitiator device 710 may exchange data primitives such as the dataconfirmation primitive at operation 765.

At operation 775, the initiator device 710 and the responder device 720may perform ranging operations such as fine timing measurements and/orothers, and may exchange one or more related messages. At operation 780,one or more data packets may be exchanged between the initiator device710 and the responder device 720.

FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of another method of communication inaccordance with some embodiments. As mentioned previously regarding themethod 400, embodiments of the method 800 may include additional or evenfewer operations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated inFIG. 8 and embodiments of the method 800 are not necessarily limited tothe chronological order that is shown in FIG. 8. In describing themethod 800, reference may be made to FIGS. 1-7, although it isunderstood that the method 800 may be practiced with any other suitablesystems, interfaces and components. In addition, embodiments of themethod 800 may be applicable to STAs 103, APs, UEs, eNBs or otherwireless or mobile devices. The method 800 may also refer to anapparatus for an STA 103 and/or other device described above.

It should be noted that the method 800 may be practiced at a responderSTA 103 and may include exchanging of signals or messages with aninitiator STA 103. Similarly, the method 400 may be practiced at aninitiator STA 103 and may include exchanging of signals or messages witha responder STA 103. In some cases, operations and techniques describedas part of one of the methods 400 or 800 may be relevant to the othermethod. In addition, embodiments may include operations performed at theinitiator STA 103 that may be reciprocal or similar to other operationsdescribed herein performed at the responder STA 103. For instance, anoperation of the method 800 may include reception of a message by theresponder STA 103 while an operation of the method 400 may includetransmission of the same message or similar message by the initiator STA103.

In addition, discussion herein of various techniques and concepts may beapplicable to the method 800 in some cases, including data services, NANdata links, ranging operations, ranging procedures, range configurationparameters, range measurements, fine timing measurements, geo-fences,messages related to establishment of data services, publish messages,synchronization of NAN devices, reference timing and/or others. Inaddition, some or all aspects of the examples shown in FIGS. 5-7 may beapplicable in some cases.

At operation 805, the responder STA 103 may determine a reference timingfor a NAN communication. In some embodiments, previously describedtechniques, such as those described related to operation 405 of themethod 400, may be used, although embodiments are not limited as such.At operation 810, the responder STA 103 may receive a publish messagefor a data service from an initiator STA 103. In some embodiments, thepublish message may indicate that the initiator STA 103 supports thedata service. In addition, when a ranging procedure is to be used forthe data service, the publish message may include information for theranging procedure, including but not limited to RCPs such as thosedescribed earlier. At operation 815, the responder STA 103 may receive adata request message from the initiator STA 103 for a data service thatis to be established between the initiator STA 103 and a responder STA103. In some embodiments, when a ranging procedure is to be used for thedata service, the data request message may include information for theranging procedure, including but not limited to RCPs such as thosedescribed earlier. At operation 820, the initiator STA 103 may determinewhether a ranging procedure is to be used for the data service. As anexample, the data request message and/or publish message may include aranging flag that may indicate whether the ranging procedure is to beused. At operation 825, the responder STA 103 may exchange one or moremessages related to ranging, such as a ranging response message and/orother message. It should be noted that the initiator STA 103 and/or theresponder STA 103 may determine fine timing measurements and/or rangingmeasurements, in some embodiments. At operation 830, the responder STA103 and the initiator STA 103 may exchange one or more data packets aspart of the data service. As previously described, traffic types of thedata packets may be related to range measurements that may be determinedin accordance with the ranging procedure.

In Example 1, an apparatus for a station (STA) configurable to operateas an initiator STA may comprise memory. The apparatus may furthercomprise processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may beconfigured to determine, for a data service that is to be establishedbetween the initiator STA and a responder STA on a Neighbor AwarenessNetworking (NAN) data link, whether a ranging procedure is to beperformed for the data service to measure a range between the STAs. Theprocessing circuitry may be further configured to generate, fortransmission to the responder STA, a data request message that indicatesa request for an establishment of the data service. When it isdetermined that the ranging procedure is to be performed for the dataservice, the data request message may include a group of one or moreranging configuration parameters to be used for the ranging procedure.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1, wherein when it isdetermined that the ranging procedure is not to be performed for thedata service, the data request message may exclude the group of rangingconfiguration parameters.

In Example 3, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-2, wherein the group of ranging parameters may include a rangingresolution or a ranging interval that indicates a maximum timedifference between two measurements of the range.

In Example 4, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-3, wherein the group of ranging parameters may include an innergeo-fence threshold and an outer geo-fence threshold. A traffic type ofdata sent as part of the data service may be based at least partly on acomparison of a range measurement of the ranging procedure with theinner and outer geo-fence thresholds.

In Example 5, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-4, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured todetermine a range measurement between the STAs. The processing circuitrymay be further configured to generate a group of data packets fortransmission to the responding STA as part of the data service. Atraffic type of the group of data packets may be based at least partlyon the range measurement.

In Example 6, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-5, wherein the group of data packets may be of a first traffic typewhen the range measurement is less than a range threshold, the group ofdata packets may be of a second traffic type when the range measurementis greater than the range threshold, and a first data rate for the firsttraffic type may be higher than a second data rate for the secondtraffic type.

In Example 7, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-6, wherein the data service may be a second data service and theranging procedure may be a second ranging procedure. The processingcircuitry may be further configured to determine whether the second dataservice may use a first ranging procedure established for a first dataservice between the STAs on the NAN data link. The determination ofwhether the second ranging procedure is to be established for the seconddata service may be based at least partly on whether the second dataservice may use the first ranging procedure.

In Example 8, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-7, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to, whenit is determined that the second data service may use the first rangingprocedure, determine a range measurement in accordance with the firstranging procedure and determine, based at least partly on the rangemeasurement, a traffic type of data to be sent to the responder STA aspart of the second data service.

In Example 9, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-8, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured todetermine a fine timing measurement based on a reception of a rangingresponse message from the responder STA. The processing circuitry may befurther configured to determine a range measurement between the STAsbased at least partly on the fine timing measurement.

In Example 10, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-9, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured togenerate, for a broadcast transmission to other STAs, a publish messagethat indicates that the data service is supported by the initiator STA.The publish message may include the group of one or more rangingconfiguration parameters when the data service is to be used inaccordance with the ranging procedure.

In Example 11, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-10, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to,when it is determined that the ranging procedure is to be performed forthe data service, refrain from sending a ranging request messageseparate from the data request message.

In Example 12, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-11, wherein the NAN data link may include a direct wireless linkbetween the initiator STA and the responder STA.

In Example 13, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-12, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured todetermine, based at least partly on a synchronization signal receivedfrom another STA, a reference timing for the NAN data link. The datarequest message may be transmitted in accordance with the referencetiming.

In Example 14, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-13, wherein the processing circuitry may include a baseband processorto determine and to generate the data request message.

In Example 15, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-14, wherein the apparatus may further include a transceiver totransmit the data request message.

In Example 16, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium maystore instructions for execution by one or more processors to performoperations for ranging by a station (STA) configurable to operate as aninitiator STA. The operations may configure the one or more processorsto generate, for transmission to a first responder STA, a first datarequest message that indicates a request to establish a first dataservice. The operations may further configure the one or more processorsto generate, for transmission to a second responder STA, a second datarequest message that indicates a request to establish a second dataservice. The first data service may include usage of a ranging procedureand the first data request message may include a group of one or moreranging configuration parameters to be used by the initiator STA and thefirst responder STA for the ranging procedure. The second data servicemay exclude usage of the ranging procedure and the second data requestmessage may exclude the group of ranging configuration parameters.

In Example 17, the subject matter of Example 16, wherein the first dataservice is to be established between the initiator STA and the firstresponder STA on a first Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) data link,the second data service is to be established between the initiator STAand the second responder STA on a second NAN data link, and the rangingprocedure to be used by the first data service may include measurementsof a range between the initiator STA and the first responder STA.

In Example 18, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples16-17, wherein the operations may further configure the one or moreprocessors to determine, based at least partly on a synchronizationsignal received from another STA, a reference timing for the NAN datalinks. The data request messages may be transmitted in accordance withthe reference timing.

In Example 19, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples16-18, wherein the group of ranging parameters may include a rangingresolution or a ranging interval that indicates a maximum timedifference between two measurements of the range.

In Example 20, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples16-19, wherein the group of ranging parameters may include an innergeo-fence threshold and an outer geo-fence threshold. A traffic type ofdata sent as part of the first data service may be based at least partlyon a comparison of a range measurement of the ranging procedure with theinner and outer geo-fence thresholds.

In Example 21, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples16-20, wherein the operations may further configure the one or moreprocessors to determine a fine timing measurement based on a receptionof a ranging response message from the first responder STA. Theoperations may further configure the one or more processors to determinea range measurement between the initiator STA and the first responderSTA based at least partly on the fine timing measurement.

In Example 22, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples16-21, wherein the operations may further configure the one or moreprocessors to generate, for a broadcast transmission to other STAs, apublish message that indicates that the first data service is supportedby the initiator STA and includes the group of one or more rangingconfiguration parameters.

In Example 23, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples16-22, wherein the operations may further configure the one or moreprocessors to refrain from sending a ranging request message separatefrom the first data request message.

In Example 24, a method of communication by a station (STA) configurableto operate as an initiator STA may comprise determining, for a dataservice that is to be established between the initiator STA and aresponder STA on a Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) data link,whether a ranging procedure is to be performed for the data service tomeasure a range between the STAs. The method may further comprisegenerating, for transmission to the responder STA, a data requestmessage that indicates a request for an establishment of the dataservice. When it is determined that the ranging procedure is to beperformed for the data service, the data request message may include agroup of one or more ranging configuration parameters to be used for theranging procedure.

In Example 25, the subject matter of Example 24, wherein when it isdetermined that the ranging procedure is not to be performed for thedata service, the data request message may exclude the group of rangingconfiguration parameters.

In Example 26, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples24-25, wherein the group of ranging parameters may include a rangingresolution, a ranging interval that indicates a maximum time differencebetween two measurements of the range or a set of geo-fence thresholds.

In Example 27, an apparatus for a station (STA) configurable to operateas a responder STA may comprise memory. The apparatus may furthercomprise processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may beconfigured to decode a data request message from an initiator STA thatindicates a request for an establishment of a data service between theinitiator STA and the responder STA on a Neighbor Awareness Networking(NAN) data link. The processing circuitry may be further configured todetermine, based at least partly on the decoded data request message,whether a ranging procedure is to be performed for the data service tomeasure a range between the STAs. The processing circuitry may befurther configured to, when it is determined that the ranging procedureis to be performed for the data service, generate for transmission tothe initiator STA, a range response message in accordance with a groupof one or more ranging configuration parameters included in the datarequest message.

In Example 28, the subject matter of Example 27, wherein the group ofranging parameters may include a ranging resolution, a ranging intervalthat indicates a maximum time difference between two measurements of therange, an inner geo-fence threshold or an outer geo-fence threshold.

In Example 29, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples27-28, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured todetermine, based at least partly on a synchronization signal receivedfrom another STA, a reference timing for the NAN data link. The datarequest message may be received in accordance with the reference timing.

In Example 30, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples27-29, wherein the processing circuitry may include a baseband processorto decode the data request message and to generate the range responsemessage.

In Example 31, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples27-30, wherein the apparatus may further include a transceiver toreceive the data request message and to transmit the range responsemessage.

In Example 32, an apparatus for a station (STA) configurable to operateas an initiator STA may comprise means for determining, for a dataservice that is to be established between the initiator STA and aresponder STA on a Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) data link,whether a ranging procedure is to be performed for the data service tomeasure a range between the STAs. The apparatus may further comprisemeans for generating, for transmission to the responder STA, a datarequest message that indicates a request for an establishment of thedata service. When it is determined that the ranging procedure is to beperformed for the data service, the data request message may include agroup of one or more ranging configuration parameters to be used for theranging procedure.

In Example 33, the subject matter of Example 32, wherein when it isdetermined that the ranging procedure is not to be performed for thedata service, the data request message excludes the group of rangingconfiguration parameters.

In Example 34, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples32-33, wherein the group of ranging parameters may include a rangingresolution, a ranging interval that indicates a maximum time differencebetween two measurements of the range, an inner geo-fence threshold oran outer geo-fence threshold.

In Example 35, an apparatus for a station (STA) configurable to operateas a responder STA may comprise means for decoding a data requestmessage from an initiator STA that indicates a request for anestablishment of a data service between the initiator STA and theresponder STA on a Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) data link. Theapparatus may further comprise means for determining, based at leastpartly on the decoded data request message, whether a ranging procedureis to be performed for the data service to measure a range between theSTAs. The apparatus may further comprise means for generating fortransmission to the initiator STA, when it is determined that theranging procedure is to be performed for the data service, a rangeresponse message in accordance with a group of one or more rangingconfiguration parameters included in the data request message.

In Example 36, the subject matter of Example 35, wherein the group ofranging parameters may include a ranging resolution, a ranging intervalthat indicates a maximum time difference between two measurements of therange, an inner geo-fence threshold or an outer geo-fence threshold.

The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b)requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the natureand gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with theunderstanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scopeor meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporatedinto the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for a station (STA) configurable tooperate as an initiator STA, the apparatus comprising: memory; andprocessing circuitry configured to: determine, for a data service thatis to be established between the initiator STA and a responder STA on aNeighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) data link, whether a rangingprocedure is to be performed for the data service to measure a rangebetween the STAs; generate, for transmission to the responder STA, adata request message that indicates a request for an establishment ofthe data service, wherein when it is determined that the rangingprocedure is to be performed for the data service, the data requestmessage includes a group of one or more ranging configuration parametersto be used for the ranging procedure.
 2. The apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein when it is determined that the ranging procedure is notto be performed for the data service, the data request message excludesthe group of ranging configuration parameters.
 3. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the group of ranging parameters includes aranging resolution or a ranging interval that indicates a maximum timedifference between two measurements of the range.
 4. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein: the group of ranging parameters includesan inner geo-fence threshold and an outer geo-fence threshold, and atraffic type of data sent as part of the data service is based at leastpartly on a comparison of a range measurement of the ranging procedurewith the inner and outer geo-fence thresholds.
 5. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, the processing circuitry further configured to:determine a range measurement between the STAs; and generate a group ofdata packets for transmission to the responding STA as part of the dataservice, wherein a traffic type of the group of data packets is based atleast partly on the range measurement.
 6. The apparatus according toclaim 5, wherein: the group of data packets are of a first traffic typewhen the range measurement is less than a range threshold, the group ofdata packets are of a second traffic type when the range measurement isgreater than the range threshold, and a first data rate for the firsttraffic type is higher than a second data rate for the second traffictype.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the data serviceis a second data service and the ranging procedure is a second rangingprocedure, the processing circuitry is further configured to determinewhether the second data service may use a first ranging procedureestablished for a first data service between the STAs on the NAN datalink, and the determination of whether the second ranging procedure isto be established for the second data service is based at least partlyon whether the second data service may use the first ranging procedure.8. The apparatus according to claim 7, the processing circuitry furtherconfigured to: when it is determined that the second data service mayuse the first ranging procedure: determine a range measurement inaccordance with the first ranging procedure; and determine, based atleast partly on the range measurement, a traffic type of data to be sentto the responder STA as part of the second data service.
 9. Theapparatus according to claim 1, the processing circuitry furtherconfigured to: determine a fine timing measurement based on a receptionof a ranging response message from the responder STA; and determine arange measurement between the STAs based at least partly on the finetiming measurement.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, theprocessing circuitry further configured to: generate, for a broadcasttransmission to other STAs, a publish message that indicates that thedata service is supported by the initiator STA, wherein the publishmessage includes the group of one or more ranging configurationparameters when the data service is to be used in accordance with theranging procedure.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 1, theprocessing circuitry further configured to, when it is determined thatthe ranging procedure is to be performed for the data service, refrainfrom sending a ranging request message separate from the data requestmessage.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the NAN datalink includes a direct wireless link between the initiator STA and theresponder STA.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 1, the processingcircuitry further configured to: determine, based at least partly on asynchronization signal received from another STA, a reference timing forthe NAN data link, wherein the data request message is transmitted inaccordance with the reference timing.
 14. The apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the processing circuitry includes a baseband processorto determine and to generate the data request message.
 15. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further includes atransceiver to transmit the data request message.
 16. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for executionby one or more processors to perform operations for ranging by a station(STA) configurable to operate as an initiator STA, the operations toconfigure the one or more processors to: generate, for transmission to afirst responder STA, a first data request message that indicates arequest to establish a first data service; and generate, fortransmission to a second responder STA, a second data request messagethat indicates a request to establish a second data service, wherein thefirst data service includes usage of a ranging procedure and the firstdata request message includes a group of one or more rangingconfiguration parameters to be used by the initiator STA and the firstresponder STA for the ranging procedure, and wherein the second dataservice excludes usage of the ranging procedure and the second datarequest message excludes the group of ranging configuration parameters.17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according toclaim 16, wherein: the first data service is to be established betweenthe initiator STA and the first responder STA on a first NeighborAwareness Networking (NAN) data link, the second data service is to beestablished between the initiator STA and the second responder STA on asecond NAN data link, the ranging procedure to be used by the first dataservice includes measurements of a range between the initiator STA andthe first responder STA.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium according to claim 17, the operations to furtherconfigure the one or more processors to: determine, based at leastpartly on a synchronization signal received from another STA, areference timing for the NAN data links, wherein the data requestmessages are transmitted in accordance with the reference timing. 19.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim16, wherein the group of ranging parameters includes a rangingresolution or a ranging interval that indicates a maximum timedifference between two measurements of the range.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein: thegroup of ranging parameters includes an inner geo-fence threshold and anouter geo-fence threshold, and a traffic type of data sent as part ofthe first data service is based at least partly on a comparison of arange measurement of the ranging procedure with the inner and outergeo-fence thresholds.
 21. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium according to claim 16, the operations to further configure theone or more processors to: determine a fine timing measurement based ona reception of a ranging response message from the first responder STA;and determine a range measurement between the initiator STA and thefirst responder STA based at least partly on the fine timingmeasurement.
 22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumaccording to claim 16, the operations to further configure the one ormore processors to generate, for a broadcast transmission to other STAs,a publish message that indicates that the first data service issupported by the initiator STA and includes the group of one or moreranging configuration parameters.
 23. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, the operationsto further configure the one or more processors to refrain from sendinga ranging request message separate from the first data request message.24. A method of communication by a station (STA) configurable to operateas an initiator STA, the method comprising: determining, for a dataservice that is to be established between the initiator STA and aresponder STA on a Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) data link,whether a ranging procedure is to be performed for the data service tomeasure a range between the STAs; generating, for transmission to theresponder STA, a data request message that indicates a request for anestablishment of the data service, wherein when it is determined thatthe ranging procedure is to be performed for the data service, the datarequest message includes a group of one or more ranging configurationparameters to be used for the ranging procedure.
 25. The methodaccording to claim 24, wherein when it is determined that the rangingprocedure is not to be performed for the data service, the data requestmessage excludes the group of ranging configuration parameters.
 26. Themethod according to claim 24, wherein the group of ranging parametersincludes a ranging resolution, a ranging interval that indicates amaximum time difference between two measurements of the range or a setof geo-fence thresholds.
 27. An apparatus for a station (STA)configurable to operate as a responder STA, the apparatus comprising:memory; and processing circuitry configured to: decode a data requestmessage from an initiator STA that indicates a request for anestablishment of a data service between the initiator STA and theresponder STA on a Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) data link;determine, based at least partly on the decoded data request message,whether a ranging procedure is to be performed for the data service tomeasure a range between the STAs; and when it is determined that theranging procedure is to be performed for the data service, generate fortransmission to the initiator STA, a range response message inaccordance with a group of one or more ranging configuration parametersincluded in the data request message.
 28. The apparatus according toclaim 27, wherein the group of ranging parameters includes a rangingresolution, a ranging interval that indicates a maximum time differencebetween two measurements of the range, an inner geo-fence threshold oran outer geo-fence threshold.
 29. The apparatus according to claim 27,the processing circuitry further configured to: determine, based atleast partly on a synchronization signal received from another STA, areference timing for the NAN data link, wherein the data request messageis received in accordance with the reference timing.
 30. The apparatusaccording to claim 27, wherein the processing circuitry includes abaseband processor to decode the data request message and to generatethe range response message.
 31. The apparatus according to claim 27,wherein the apparatus further includes a transceiver to receive the datarequest message and to transmit the range response message.